Buying a Kobo Libra
November 25, 2019 10:35 AM Subscribe
Will Kobo e-readers, and specifically the Kobo Libra be discounted on Black Friday in the US? Alternately, if it'll be used almost exclusively for library books, is there any good reason to consider a Kindle Oasis (just in case it sees significant discounts), now that you can access Overdrive directly on Kobo devices?
I suppose one answer could be that it doesn't really matter which device I have, if I'm going to keep it in permanent airplane mode to prevent library books from expiring, since I'd have to side-load books anyway.
(In my dreams, I'd jailbreak either to prevent it from calling out, so that I can get Overdrive/Whispersyc and endless library loans. In reality, I don't think that's possible, and I'm probably not savvy enough to do it, if it were.)
I suppose one answer could be that it doesn't really matter which device I have, if I'm going to keep it in permanent airplane mode to prevent library books from expiring, since I'd have to side-load books anyway.
(In my dreams, I'd jailbreak either to prevent it from calling out, so that I can get Overdrive/Whispersyc and endless library loans. In reality, I don't think that's possible, and I'm probably not savvy enough to do it, if it were.)
Response by poster: You can use Calibre to unlock most DRM'd ebooks. (Not Calibre directly, but there's a plugin that works with it.) The magic search terms are "Apprentice Alf DeDRM."
Should've mentioned that I do know about Apprentice Alf, but it doesn't work on library books! Which is a great ethical distinction that I fully support.
(In theory, at least! In practice, I want the ease of native Overdrive or Whispersync and more than three weeks to finish a stack of books. Especially because library ebook licensing is such a clusterfuck, and I'll often find myself waiting weeks or months for a book to become available. I think one obvious answer is "just find a pirated copy," but I feel really strongly about supporting the authors whose books I read, even if indirectly via library checkouts. The other is just buy the damn book, and plenty of times I do, in paperback. I wish there were some way prevent library DRM from calling home, while still using an internet-connected ereader.
I'd been thinking jailbreaking might be an answer, but in fact maybe my next AskMe should be "how do I monitor outgoing traffic at the router level, then block things reeaaaallly granularly, like I do using Little Snitch on my laptop?") I have gotten so off-topic!
posted by tapir-whorf at 12:21 PM on November 25, 2019
Should've mentioned that I do know about Apprentice Alf, but it doesn't work on library books! Which is a great ethical distinction that I fully support.
(In theory, at least! In practice, I want the ease of native Overdrive or Whispersync and more than three weeks to finish a stack of books. Especially because library ebook licensing is such a clusterfuck, and I'll often find myself waiting weeks or months for a book to become available. I think one obvious answer is "just find a pirated copy," but I feel really strongly about supporting the authors whose books I read, even if indirectly via library checkouts. The other is just buy the damn book, and plenty of times I do, in paperback. I wish there were some way prevent library DRM from calling home, while still using an internet-connected ereader.
I'd been thinking jailbreaking might be an answer, but in fact maybe my next AskMe should be "how do I monitor outgoing traffic at the router level, then block things reeaaaallly granularly, like I do using Little Snitch on my laptop?") I have gotten so off-topic!
posted by tapir-whorf at 12:21 PM on November 25, 2019
Best answer: I am lining up to buy an Oasis, specifically for reading library books. Originally I was looking at Kobo's because of Overdrive, but (a) as far as I can work out I can easily send most library books direct to Kindle from Libby, and (b) I can go to the store - Best Buy - and actually play with the device and boy is it nice. I would not in a million years pay the price Best Buy is asking, but used good condition ones on ebay are going for $120, which I think is reasonable.
posted by my log does not judge at 4:55 PM on November 25, 2019
posted by my log does not judge at 4:55 PM on November 25, 2019
Response by poster: To follow up on my own post once more, having done a bit of research on MobileReads, it seems like Adobe Digital Editions (.epubs) handles expiring library books differently than Kindle does. With ADE books, the expiration seems to be baked into the DRM itself, so the book expires whether or not the device it's on is connected to the internet. With the Kindle, for an ebook to expire the Kindle has to call home.
So, hmm -- I'm kind of rethinking my Kobo preference, since I don't really want to deDRM library books as a necessary step (and anyhow, have had trouble figuring out the finicky add-on to Apprentice Alf that it would require), and since I don't mind a slightly older one from eBay.
posted by tapir-whorf at 5:45 PM on November 25, 2019
So, hmm -- I'm kind of rethinking my Kobo preference, since I don't really want to deDRM library books as a necessary step (and anyhow, have had trouble figuring out the finicky add-on to Apprentice Alf that it would require), and since I don't mind a slightly older one from eBay.
posted by tapir-whorf at 5:45 PM on November 25, 2019
Best answer: The 9th gen Kindle Oasis is currently on sale at Amazon for $150 or $180, depending on storage. Since the only new thing in the 10th gen appears to be the warm light option I think it’s a pretty good price. I just bought a new one since my husband knelt on my previous one during an urgent moment (my 5 year old was vomiting all over our tent during a camping trip).
posted by The Elusive Architeuthis at 7:24 AM on November 26, 2019
posted by The Elusive Architeuthis at 7:24 AM on November 26, 2019
Best answer: I asked this question, actually tried out both devices for a while (yay extended holiday return periods!), and ended up settling for the Kobo Clara. I keep meaning to send in a proper follow-up but the short version is, every action on the Kobo is slightly more annoying that it ought to be. No individual thing is all that bad (a little slow to start up, an extra step in connecting to the computer...), but the sum of it is a device that mildly irritates me every time I use it (except for the warm backlight, which is great).
In regards to Overdrive specifically, 'native Overdrive' has been a real disappointment. I've had this thing for a year, and I still cannot for the life of me figure out the best way to consistently get books to just show up on my device. The interface doesn't do multiple libraries at all, so I end up using other devices to actually check out books, which then sometimes sync with the Kobo but mostly don't. I just tried checking out books using the Libby app, the Overdrive app, both the NYPL and Brooklyn library websites, and on the Kobo directly. The websites and apps sync up fine and show all five books, while only one book has turned up on the Kobo. I've been sideloading stuff through Calibre, which is fine, but when I had a Kindle, 'Check Out With Overdrive' + 'Send to Kindle' from the library websites worked flawlessly every time.
tl;dr The Kobo won out (barely) for now, but don't get it for the Overdrive integration. I'm probably going to ditch mine for a new Kindle as soon as they start making Paperwhites with a warm backlight.
posted by yeahlikethat at 11:27 PM on November 26, 2019
In regards to Overdrive specifically, 'native Overdrive' has been a real disappointment. I've had this thing for a year, and I still cannot for the life of me figure out the best way to consistently get books to just show up on my device. The interface doesn't do multiple libraries at all, so I end up using other devices to actually check out books, which then sometimes sync with the Kobo but mostly don't. I just tried checking out books using the Libby app, the Overdrive app, both the NYPL and Brooklyn library websites, and on the Kobo directly. The websites and apps sync up fine and show all five books, while only one book has turned up on the Kobo. I've been sideloading stuff through Calibre, which is fine, but when I had a Kindle, 'Check Out With Overdrive' + 'Send to Kindle' from the library websites worked flawlessly every time.
tl;dr The Kobo won out (barely) for now, but don't get it for the Overdrive integration. I'm probably going to ditch mine for a new Kindle as soon as they start making Paperwhites with a warm backlight.
posted by yeahlikethat at 11:27 PM on November 26, 2019
This thread is closed to new comments.
Mobileread's Which One Should I Buy? forum is a great place to ask about specific features and device comparisons. Don't mention keeping library books from expiring; they take a dim view of DRM evasion over there. (Officially. Unofficially, info about Apprentice Alf is handled through PMs, and the mods are entirely aware of that.)
I've considered getting a Kindle Oasis; the size is stopping me - it's too big for a pocket. If I didn't care about that, I'd make the switch from the epub ereaders that I've used for the past several years. I'm currently using an ancient Sony PRS-350 - I had a Kobo Mini for a while and didn't like it. It was touchscreen only, and when the battery got low, the screen lost sensitivity.
The Kindle Oasis and Kobo Libra both have buttons to turn the pages, which I strongly prefer. I haven't had the chance to do a side-by-side comparison of their features, but I suspect a big part of why the Oasis costs more is that it has access to Amazon's bookstore and tech support, not that it's actually got a eighty dollars worth of better tech. It has bluetooth for speakers, which the Libra doesn't seem to have. There may be people who think that's worth $80; I am not one of those people.
posted by ErisLordFreedom at 11:17 AM on November 25, 2019 [1 favorite]